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Blast moves into new home, wins season opener

SECU Arena in November is usually reserved for Towson University Basketball.

Not on Friday night.

On Friday night the Baltimore Blast officially moved in.

Same championship team. New digs.

“It's going to be loud,” said Blast forward Andrew Hoxie. “It's amazing when you can't hear yourself think. That's when you know that's where you want to be.”

After 37 years calling the downtown arena home the Blast moved north into the smaller, more intimate venue on the campus of Towson University.

“It's the culmination of a lot hard work over the summer. Our staff really put in the time, from the owner on down, leading us in what we're doing,” said Blast president and general manager Kevin Healey. “We just think this is going to be a great atmosphere.”

Capacity at SECU is about 4,000 fans. That’s down from the over 10,000 Royal Farms Arena could hold. The field is quite smaller too. The length of the field is now 150 feet. It was 200 feet at Royal Farms. The smaller surface should make for a faster pace with more scoring.

“Everything happens so much quicker on a smaller field,” said Blast head coach Danny Kelly. “Less time, less space. We got to make the adjustment.”

What do the fans think?

“It's actually pretty neat. I didn't know what to expect. I've been down at the arena for years and it was going to be a change. But, I like it so far. It's pretty exciting,” said Blast season ticket holder Bob Connolly.

“I just like the atmosphere. The fans are right on top of the field. You can hear everybody. It's a lot more excitement,” said Blast season ticket holder Kim May.

Excitement is just what the fans got for game number one of the season. The Blast defeated Cedar Rapids 8-7.

Game number two on the season is next Friday at SECU against Syracuse.